Effect of Tomato Extract on the Stress Resistance and Lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans

Antioxidants and anti-stress mechanisms have been intensely studied in recent years due to their role in degenerative disease development and aging. Dietary interventions that promote anti-stress mechanisms could also increase health and lifespan. To test whether a lipophilic native tomato extract with high antioxidant activity extends health and lifespan, we treated the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and found that tomato extract increases resistance to oxidative and thermal stress, and extended lifespan in wild type. These effects were lost in mutants of the insulin/insulin-like signalling pathway indicating that tomato extract acts by this pathway. In addition, beneficial effects on oxidative and thermal stress resistance were dependent on stress-related transcription factors, but independent of caloric restriction. These results suggest that the antioxidant activity of the tomato extract was, at least in part, mediated by insulin/insulin-like signalling pathway and transcription factors. Graphical abstract